Equity

Matthew Lynch published in Equity, HBCU's, Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

3 Paths HBCUs Must Take to Be Recognized for Their Excellence

Historically black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, have provided a top-notch education for African Americans since pre-Civil War days. These schools, founded prior to 1964 with the goal of serving black students, once provided windows to educational pursuits when other doors were slammed shut to African Americans.

But with diversity at all American colleges and universities on the rise, and the emergence of flexible online programs, do HBCUs fit in the contemporary higher education picture?
They certainly can, with the help of some strategic thinking and considering their role in today’s society. Here are three paths HBCUs can take that will help them do just that.

1. Continue to serve as a haven for top-performing African American men and women.

According to ThinkHBCU.org, 70 percent of the nation’s African American physicians and dentists earned their degrees at HBCUs. Over 50 percent of public school teachers of African American descent earned their degrees at HBCUs. African Americans with communication technology degrees from HBCUs make up 44 percent of the nation’s total and 43 percent of mathematics degrees awarded to African Americans come from HBCUs. The range of industries addressed in the offerings of HBCUs is vast, contributing to a larger and more integral African American presence in the workforce.

Women gain an especially strong advantage when they earn a degree from an HBCU. The United Negro College Fund has reported that females who graduate from Bennett and Spelman Colleges make up more than half of the African American women who eventually earn science doctorates. To put that in perspective, that number is higher than the amount produced by all seven Ivy League sister schools put together. In a workplace when minorities often still struggle to reach the highest ranks, African American women hold a strong advantage with a degree from a HBCU.

2. Carefully consider and craft your role as an individual HBCU in today’s society.

When HBCUs first began popping up in America, they were a necessity to higher educational paths for African American young people. Benefactors like John Rockefeller founded Spelman College in Atlanta (named after his wife, by the way) in order to give black students a shot in a nation still very much in the throes of Jim Crow-law domination. Most of the 105 HBCUs were founded in former slave areas that still presented steep challenges for African Americans that aspired to higher education but faced discrimination in dominantly white college settings.

The original intent of HBCUs worked. Some of the nation’s brightest and most influential minds came out of HBCUs. Langston Hughes was a Lincoln University graduate. Martin Luther King Jr. earned his degree from Morehouse College. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey, education expert Marva Collins and Brown University President Ruth J. Simmons all earned degrees from HBCUs (from Tennessee State University, Clark Atlanta University and Dillard University, respectively). These powerful pillars of the African American community were able to achieve optimal success in life because of the education they received from HBCUs.

But what about now? Do ambitious African American students really need a HBCU to achieve success? Perhaps a more poignant question is this: does it help or hinder the African American community when its members attend a HBCU today?

The answer is grounded in the particular student’s intent. Young African Americans today do not NEED a HBCU to obtain a general education, but they may find particular programs at individual schools meet their career objectives. Some may even find academic inspiration in the original founding purpose of a HBCU and that feeling of carrying on tradition may fuel them to graduate, make an impact in the world and give back to their college or university.

3. Foster diversity and be welcoming to all students.

Maybe it’s no longer necessary to attend an HBCU in the sense that it was when these colleges were originally founded. But that does not mean that these institutions lack other attractive qualities.

In fact, many students with white European, Latino or Asian roots are choosing HBCUs because of the strength of the academic programs and generally lower tuition costs. During the 2011 – 2012 school year, West Virginia State, Kentucky State and Delaware State universities all reported that more than 25 percent of their populations were made up of white Americans.

A continued push for diversity on HBCU campuses is the only way these schools can transition from the necessity of the past to the potential of the future. This means implementing more online course options and flexible degree programs so that all students can picture themselves succeeding at a HBCU.
To sum it up, gratitude for the original intent of HBCUs combined with forward educational thinking for students of all heritages will carry HBCUs to the next level of achievement in higher learning circles.

What else do you think HBCUs can do to keep and promote a reputation of excellence? I’d appreciate reading your thoughts in the comment section.

Read all of our posts about HBCUs by clicking here.

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation, Education News, Equity

Closing the computer science gender gap: How one woman is making a difference in many lives

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**

Maria Klawe, Harvey Mudd College  

I’ve been passionate about increasing women’s participation in computer science for more than 25 years. While the number of undergraduate women pursuing some STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) fields like biology and chemistry has steadily increased over the past couple of decades, women’s participation in computer science (CS) has actually been declining.

Indeed, within the last 20 years the percentage of undergraduate women who received CS degrees plummeted by almost 40%. According to the National Science Foundation, in 1995, 29% of bachelor’s degrees in CS were awarded to women; by 2012, the most recent year for which NSF data is available, only 18% of CS undergraduates were women.

The Computing Research Association (CRA) reports even lower numbers. CRA’s annual Taulbee Survey of over 100 major computer science departments in North America found that by the mid-2000s, the percentage of women graduating with CS bachelor’s degrees averaged 14%.

For me this issue is both personal and global.

Working to remove barriers

I’m a mathematician and a computer scientist. Back when I was getting my PhD in math, there were very few women in my field. Despite receiving discouragement because of my gender, I worked hard.

And I excelled. I went on to take up leadership roles in many places – at IBM, University of British Columbia, Princeton and now at Harvey Mudd. I’ve been the first woman in nearly all these positions.

I know the struggles that can hinder women when they are working in a predominantly male field. I also know firsthand how computer science and technology make for a great career, offering a good income, work-life balance and opportunities to travel. They also offer a chance to make significant contributions to the world, by working on important societal problems.

I want young women to have these opportunities.

I’ve been working on this issue for decades. When I came to Harvey Mudd College in 2006, the CS department was averaging only about 10% women majors. The faculty had decided to make significant changes to attract more women.

They redesigned their introductory computer science courses to focus less on straight programming and more on creative problem-solving. They included topics to show the breadth of the field and the ways in which it could benefit society.

In order to reduce the intimidation factor for women and other students with no prior coding experience, they split the course into two sections, black and gold (Harvey Mudd’s colors), with black for those who had prior programming experience and gold for those with no prior experience.

This worked wonders to create a supportive atmosphere.

Making the field exciting for women

Instead of traditional homework, which can be isolating, the faculty assigned team-based projects so that students coded together. And most importantly, they made the courses fun. The intro CS courses went from being the least-liked course in our core curriculum to being the most popular.

After the courses were introduced in 2007, we saw an immediate and steady increase in the percentage of female students majoring in CS. Within four years, we went from averaging around 10% women majors to averaging 40%. We have continued to average 40% since 2011.

In addition, faculty created early summer research opportunities designed for students who had completed only one or two CS courses, and encouraged their first-year female students to participate. A number of studies have shown that research experiences for undergraduate students increase retention and confidence in STEM fields, factors that are particularly important for women and minorities.

Harvey Mudd’s female students who participated in early CS research projects indeed reported greatly increased interest in the discipline and a boost in confidence. They realized they could do the work of a computer scientist and that they enjoyed it as well.

Even today, there aren’t enough women entering the field of computer science. Harvey Mudd College, CC BY

We also send large contingents of women students each year to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing,the largest conference for women working in technology fields. At this event, students get to see role models and are excited about the many amazing technology career paths they can pursue.

Other institutions are starting to take up our approaches.

For instance, the Building Recruiting And Inclusion for Diversity (BRAID) initiative that we launched with the Anita Borg Institute is working to build computer science diversity at 15 academic institutions. We are about to offer our intro computer science course as a free MOOC on edX, so that professors and students can access the course materials.

There’s still work to be done

However, many barriers and challenges remain.

The National Science Foundation’s most recent (2012) report shows that computer science has the lowest proportion of women receiving bachelor degrees of all the STEM fields. The percentage dipped to a mere 11% from 2007-2009 and gradually returned to 14% by 2013-2014.

Computer science should be a required part of secondary education, but a lot of schools don’t have computer science teachers. Most young people who go to college today have not had much exposure to computer science.

We also have to combat the cultural belief that some people are simply born with math, science or computer talent and others are simply “not good at it.” There’s lots of research that shows that persistence and hard work play a much larger role in success in any area of science and engineering than “native ability.” Another serious challenge is posed by the media portrayal of careers in technology, which builds certain stereotypes.

I want people to think about how we can change our images of who we consider to be competent in technology. At the moment, the image of the computer scientist is limited to a white or Asian male.

One thing we know for sure is that you get better solutions if you have more diverse teams working on them. We need the female perspective to get the best solutions to very pressing problems.

Need for diversity

We also need more African Americans, Latinos/Latinas, poets, football players and artists involved in creating technology. Right now there is unfilled demand for computer science grads and not just in the tech industry.

I want computer science and technology to be a world that embraces everyone who has passion, ability and interest, whether they look like the dominant group or not.

Today, computer science touches all industries. Its products are embedded in our daily lives. Addressing the significant problems of the world – from climate change to health care to poverty – will involve technology.

I think the world will be an incredibly exciting place and we will see amazing technological developments when we create a much more diverse tech community.

Read all of our posts about EdTech and Innovation by clicking here. 

_________________________

Maria Klawe is President at Harvey Mudd College.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Read the original article.

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Matthew Lynch, OpEducation, Policy & Reform, Teachers

Diversity: Why Classrooms Need It

School climate and school culture directly impact student success. As a result, it is particularly important for the school culture (and the classroom culture) to reflect, acknowledge, and celebrate diversity.  Taking these feel-good ideals and making them a reality can be tough for educators, especially with so many other initiatives on their ever-tighter schedules.

Even diversity itself is not exactly straightforward. Not only must schools recognize diversity evident among broad racial and ethnic groups (e.g., Asian or Hispanic), but the diversity within these groups must be recognized as well. For example Chinese and Japanese students may share common cultural characteristics as a result of being Asian, but will also have distinctly Chinese and Japanese cultural characteristics that differ from each other. The same is true of Caucasian students who come from vastly different family backgrounds, even from the same neighborhoods. In the interest of treating students equally, giving them equal chances for success, and equal access to the curriculum, teachers and administrators must recognize the uniqueness and individuality of their students.

Diversity in Practice

Teachers have a particular responsibility to recognize and structure their lessons to reflect student differences.  This encourages students to recognize themselves and others as individuals.  It also encourages the appreciation of a diverse school population, and brings a sense of connection between disparate cultural heritages within a single school’s culture. It is certainly in the best interest of students and teachers to focus on the richness of our diversity.  Recognizing and acknowledging our differences is part of treating students fairly and equally.

One reason for seeking out and acknowledging cultural differences among students is the idea that learning involves transfer of information from prior knowledge and experiences.  To facilitate this transfer process, it is important to acknowledge the students’ background, and to validate and incorporate their previous knowledge into the process of acquiring new information.  All students begin school with a framework of skills and information based on their home cultures. This may include a rudimentary understanding of the alphabet, numbers, computer functions, some basic knowledge of a second language, or the ability to spell and write their names. It also includes a set of habits, etiquette and social expectations derived from the home.

If a student cannot relate new information to his own experiences, or connect the new material to a familiar concept, he may perceive the new information as frustrating, difficult or dismiss it completely, believing it to be in conflict with his already tenuous understanding of the world.  Teachers have the responsibility to seek out cultural building blocks students already possess, in order to help build a framework for understanding.  Some educational pedagogy refers to this process as “scaffolding.”  Recognition of a student’s cultural differences provides a positive basis for effective learning, and a “safe” classroom environment. Every group of students will respond differently to curriculum and teachers must constantly adjust to be sure their methods are diverse, both in theory and in practice.

What are some easy ways you’ve found to promote diversity in your classroom?

photo credit: woodleywonderworks via photopin cc

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Matthew Lynch published in Diversity, Equity, list, Matthew Lynch

Bilingual Education: 5 Reasons Why Starting Early is Important

This generation of K-12 students is growing up in a society that is increasingly bilingual. Foreign language requirements have long been a core requirement for high school graduation and are also part of most arts-based college degree programs. Along with Spanish, languages like French and German are common options for students. But is high school early enough to learn another language? There are actually more benefits to learning a second language much earlier, even as early as kindergarten. Here are 5 reasons it is important to start bilingual education early:

  1. Simply put—fluency is easier to come by when you learn earlier.

It generally takes 5–7 years to be proficient in a second language.  Second-generation Hispanic children raised in the United States usually learn to speak English very well by adulthood, even though three-quarters of their parents speak mostly Spanish and are not English proficient.  However only 23 percent of first-generation immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries—those that began learning later in life, say they speak English very well.  Pew Hispanic Center statistics have shown that 88 percent of the members of the second generation—those children that were introduced to English at an early age, described themselves as strong English speakers.  This phenomenon should apply to children who speak English as their first language as well.  In other words, U.S. students should be introduced to a second language at a young age in order to be fluent by adulthood.  In fact, I believe that all K-12 students should have Spanish and English fluency by graduation.

  1. Bilingual children have an academic edge.

Studies in language development show that when young children have more exposure to all languages at an early age, it actually gives them a distinct academic advantage throughout life. There is often an argument that students should first master the English language before branching out to others – but why can’t both be taught simultaneously? Bilingual children are able to focus more intently on the topics at hand and avoid distractions from academic pursuits. They are also able to demonstrate higher levels of cognitive flexibility, or the ability to change responses based on environment and circumstances.

  1. There are cultural benefits that come from learning other languages.

The children who come from English-speaking homes can lend their language expertise to friends from Spanish-speaking homes, and vice versa. Contemporary communication technology has eliminated many global barriers when it comes to socialization and even doing business. It makes sense that language boundaries should also come down and with help from our K-12 education system.

Dual language programs show students a broader world view, whatever the native language of the student.

  1. A bilingual brain is a more powerful brain.

Children who learn their first second-language words at the age of 5 can benefit from dual language curriculum. Learning is learning. The more that children can take advantage of new concepts, the more in tune their brains will be to all learning throughout life. Some studies have also found that the aging of the brain is slower and the employment rate is higher in adults with bilingual capabilities. Why not set kids up for success and strengthen long-term brain health while we are at it?

  1. It leads to greater opportunities with collaborative learning.

Dual language programs show students a broader world-view, whatever the native language of the student, and lead to greater opportunities for collaborative learning. We should not limit what children learn based on outdated principles masked in patriotism.

By implementing bilingual options even younger, K-12 students stand to benefit long-term – both academically and in life. There really should be no reason why these students are not introduced to a second language as early as Kindergarten.

What do you think about introducing dual-language to early elementary-school aged children?

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Matthew Lynch, Policy & Reform

2 Ways That Language Instruction Shined in 2015

In today’s global world, it is important that students leave high school knowing more than just one language. Several innovative school districts in the U.S. are making this a reality by ensuring that their students learn a second language.

Maryland districts add Spanish immersion at three of its elementary schools. Prince George County in Maryland is working hard to immerse young students in foreign language. Three schools in the county started formally offering Spanish immersion as part of an expansion option for children this school year.

Mariluz Mendez, a kindergarten teacher at Cesar Chavez Elementary School, said that some of her students who have never spoken a foreign language before her class are now reading books in Spanish.

Executive Director of the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages Marty Abbott explained that the number of school districts that use a foreign-language immersion model rises each year. Spanish is the most commonly taught foreign language in U.S. schools, and Chinese is seeing a significant increase.

Gina Bowler and Delores Millhouse, two parents who did not have children in the public schools last year, lobbied for Schools Chief Kevin M. Maxwell to add Spanish immersion to the district’s list of offerings.

Bowler wants to give her daughters all of the advantages available to other children. She believes fluency in multiple languages will give students “many advantages in their academic lives, their professional lives, and their personal lives.”

Right now, kindergarten classes in each of the three participating elementary schools enjoy the new offering. Subsequent grades will be added each year. The district also offers Chinese immersion at a few schools.

I fully support Maryland in its decision to offer Spanish immersion in its kindergarten classes. Research points to benefits such as greater understanding, tolerance, and appreciation for other languages and cultures. I anticipate and hope that we will see an increase of language immersion programs throughout the U.S. in upcoming years.

NYC expanded dual-language programs. The New York City Education Department plans to expand dual-language programs offered in the city’s public schools.

Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina stated that 40 dual-language programs in elementary, middle and high school levels would be created or expanded for the 2015-2016 school year. As of June, there were 150 dual-language programs in the city. The new dual-language program will receive a $25,000 grant to prepare for the implementation and $1 million in federal funds.

The programs will primarily be in Spanish, but there will also be some in French, Haitian-Creole, Japanese, Chinese, and Hebrew. The programs will aspire to teach students to read, write, and speak in two languages. Half of the students will be English speakers and the other half will already speak the second language in the classroom.

Dual-language programs have been spreading around the United States as school districts strive to prepare students to compete for jobs in a globalized, multilingual world. The methods used in each school vary. For example, some teachers may teach half of the school day in English and half in another language.

Beyond the job prospects and global advantages, education experts say that dual-language programs can also attract middle-class families to attend poorer schools they may otherwise evade.

I think this shows that New York City is using its multicultural community to its advantage. Dual-language programs promote a positive school culture and can help close the achievement gap. I anticipate we will see students from a range of backgrounds attend schools that offer dual-language programs as more and more parents recognize the importance of bilingual education.

Can you think of any other stories that we missed?

Click here to read all our posts concerning the Achievement Gap.

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

Diverse Conversations: Is a 4.0 at an HBCU the Same as a 4.0 at a PWI?

Historically black colleges and universities or HBCUs have an important tradition in the United States. It’s not necessarily a straightforward tradition, but it’s one we still grapple with.

One of the biggest struggles, perhaps, is the equalizing of values, of recognition, and importance. The problem addressed in this interview – my interview with George Johnson, Student Accounts Manager at Georgetown University, (former graduate of 2 HBCU’s) – is that of academic weight. Does a 4.0 at an HBCU have the same value as a 4.0 at a PWI?

Q: The first question, then, is one that seeks to generalize. Generally speaking, does a 4.0 at an HBCU have the same value as a 4.0 at a PWI? If not, why not?

A: Generally speaking a 4.0 at an HBCU does have the same value as a 4.0 at a PWI. I say this because a 4.0 simply means you were able to master the subject matter being studied with the highest grade possible for the requirements of the degree or course. If we use the old adage of “2+2 = 4”, then in general terms a 4.0 is a 4.0 is a 4.0. I say that because the true debate is not if it has the same value, but is the criteria required to receive a 4.0 more arduous at a PWI vs. an HBCU. To date, there is no real scientific evidence to prove or disprove this theory. Furthermore, this statement falls apart on the merits, as professors from PWI’s teach at HBCU’s and vice versa. In terms of value, what does getting a 4.0 really mean? There are students who graduated without honors who are millionaires. There are students with 4.0’s that are currently out of work. As I stated in a previous article, we should be commending anyone who is able to get a 4.0 regardless of the institution it was received from, for that truly takes hard work.

Q: In what contexts do you think there is the greatest gap in value between 4.0s from HBCUs and 4.0s at PWIs? Is there anything in particular that continues to perpetuate this gap?

A: The greatest gap in value comes from the refusal to change the hierarchy created within colleges and universities across the US. Even PWI’s are separated into “Ivy League” vs. everyone else. When you look at USA Today’s top college rankings, there is no HBCU listed in the top 20. This perpetuates the belief that the education at an HBCU is below the standards of our nation’s top universities which is simply untrue. The formula used to create the top 20 is based on various categories that have nothing to do with academic standards. They rely on stats like graduation rates, retention rates, the high school SAT scores of incoming students, and “education experts” to determine this ranking. There is no true academic valuing tool or method that is being used to determine this. Furthermore, many of the HBCU’s are accredited by the same governing body as the PWI’s. So they are good enough to be accredited by the same academic standards, but the academic standards are still unequal. A very flawed argument at best.

Q: How is the overall relationship between academic excellence at HBCUs versus PWIs determined and how, if at all, is that relationship changing?

A: Unfortunately, perception is reality when it comes to this question. As stated previously there is no scientific method to the determination of this statement. The overall standard is rooted in perceived ranking of Top PWI’s vs PWI’s. PWI’s vs HBCU’s, and the unfortunate ranking of HBCU’s vs HBCU’s. Although not used as frequently, during the civil rights era, the term “The Black Ivy League” was coined for certain HBCU’s that “pulled the best and most privileged black students”. Howard University, for years was deemed to be “The Black Harvard”. Although not heralded as it once was, this hierarchy has created a dissention in the African American community’s views on academic excellence amongst HBCU’s. If we are unable to agree that HBCU’s across the board have an equal standard of learning with each other, how can we debate that they are comparable to PWI’s? I do believe that in recent years, the views of the “hierarchy” of HBCU’s has significantly declined, but I feel that if we want to be perceived and recognized as equals with PWI’s, we must come to an agreement that we are equivalent to one another. The fact that many students that attended HBCU’s for undergrad were able get graduate degrees from PWI’s is under researched evidence of the relationship change.

Q: What have been some of the most significant strategies for equalizing the perceived values of academic excellence at HBCUs versus PWIs?

A: I am not sure if I would necessarily say it is a strategy, but the recent visibility of HBCU graduates, alumni, and dropouts have created a change in perceived values. The commencement speech at Howard University by Sean Combs, the celebrity appearances in commercials advertising HBCU’s have brought a new found attention to these colleges and universities. The addition of new degree programs, including masters and doctoral at many of the HBCU’s are also helping in equalizing this standard. Another strategy that has been utilized is the raising of the academic requirements to attend HBCU’s. Long lives the stigma that HBCU’s are “last resort” or “willing to accept everyone”. Although they do tend to have lower requirements for admission, it does not change the fact that the academic standard is one of high quality. I like to believe that HBCU’s are schools that give “second chances” and are more willing to put in the work to bring out the “diamonds in the ruff” compared to PWI’s. The continuing partnerships that many of the HBCU’s are creating with corporate America, study abroad programs, and STEM programs are also helping to decrease the perceived inequality of learning.

Q: What can administrators and educators at HBCUs do and what can their counterparts at PWIs do to try and overcome the remaining gaps, the remaining discrepancies in values?

A: I feel that administrators and educators need to re-instill that the value is in receiving the college education, and not where you receive it from. Perception is reality on this subject. If tomorrow, ten former HBCU graduates became the CEO’s of ten fortune 100 companies, people would begin claiming that there is something that HBCU’s are doing that PWI’s aren’t. Too much weight is being put on where you are getting educated based on what people are doing with their education. Educator’s need to remind students of the reasons they attended college. Making sure that students are engaged and not only able to repeat information, but also apply it. The 4.0 does not guarantee that you will be more successful in life, regardless of where it is received. It does not guarantee wealth, health, or how you will be able to apply your knowledge to life situations.

It also becomes the responsibility of the student’s that attend HBCU’s who are doing well in their respective fields to be visible. We have to push the message that we are equivalent to those who graduate from other institutions. We must be vigilant in reminding students at HBCU’s that their degrees have worth and value. That Harvard, Princeton, and Yale are excellent schools based on the academic, societal achievements of their alumni and professors, not based on the devaluation of other institutions.

I conclude by saying that the pursuit of knowledge is a valiant one. It brings together people from all walks of life, different shapes and sizes. It should not matter if you choose to attend an Ivy League, HBCU, PWI, or Community College. Your GPA should not be a topic of debate because you got it “here” instead of “there”. The fact that you chose higher education is to be applauded and respected. To devalue that choice in any way is simply unacceptable.

I would like to thank George Johnson for sitting down to talk with us.

Read all of our posts about HBCUs by clicking here.

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, list, Matthew Lynch, Mississippi, Policy & Reform,

6 Reasons Why You Should Care About High School Dropout Rates

The good news is that high school dropout rates are at an all-time low. The national average is 7 percent.

However, there are too many people who slip through the cracks, especially when you consider all the alternate options for finishing school that are available in this day and age. The dropout rate should be negligible.

Having too many high school dropouts is costly. Here are reasons why we should focus on reducing them even further:

  1. The dropout rates cost individuals a lot of money. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that dropouts bring in just $20,241 annually, which is $10,000 less than high school graduates and over $36,000 less than a person holding a bachelor’s degree. The poverty rate for dropouts is over twice as high as college grads, and the unemployment rate for dropouts is generally 4 percentage points higher than the national average. In the end, the lifetime earnings of high school dropouts are $260,000 LESS than peers who earn a diploma.
  2. The dropout rates cost our society a lot of money. The financial ramifications of dropping out of high school hurt more than the individual. It’s estimated that half of all Americans on public assistance are dropouts. If all of the dropouts from the class of 2011 had earned diplomas, the nation would benefit from an estimated $154 billion in income over their working lifetimes. Potentially feeding that number is the fact that young women who give up on high school are nine times more likely to be, or become, young single mothers. A study out of Northeastern University found that high school dropouts cost taxpayers $292,000 over the course of their lives.
  3. The rates are linked with heightened criminal activity and incarceration rates. It’s not just about the money though. Over 80 percent of the incarcerated population is high school dropouts – making this an issue that truly impacts every member of the community. Numbers are higher for dropouts of color; 22 percent of people jailed in the U.S. are black males who are high school dropouts. As a society, we are not just paying into public assistance programs for dropouts, but we are paying to protect ourselves against them through incarceration.

I wonder what these numbers would look like if we took the nearly $300K that taxpayers put in over the course of a dropout’s lifetime and deposited it into their K-12 learning upfront. If we invested that money, or even half of it, into efforts to enhance the learning experience and programs to prevent dropping out, what would that do to dropout, poverty and incarceration rates? Right now the process seems to be reactionary. What would it look like if more preventative actions were put in place?

  1. Those who don’t stay in school are not likely to value a career path over a job. Over 68 percent of high school graduates begin college coursework the following fall. Students who earn high school diplomas are that much more inspired to continue their academic journey and seek out a lifelong career match, not just clock hours at a “job” until retirement. The fulfillment people receive from a job they enjoy should not be underestimated. Studies have found that happier people are healthier and are even able to better fight off common illnesses like colds and the flu. Considering more time is spent working than in any other pursuit, job satisfaction plays a major role in overall happiness. The value of careers go beyond individual satisfaction, however. As a nation, everyone benefits from well-educated workers who earn a living in areas where they possess natural talent too.
  2. Staying in high school allows students to have valuable experiences. The childhood years go by so quickly and high school represents the last stage before adulthood. The social opportunities that high school provides are not duplicated anywhere else, with the exception of a college setting and high school dropouts miss out on both. What’s more, high school dropouts tend to get into more trouble than their in-school peers. The National Dropout Prevention Center reports that 82 percent of U.S. prisoners are high school dropouts. The life lessons found in the later years of high school are more valuable than they get credit for and the peer-level socialization is a vital part of late-childhood development.
  3. To help us value learning for its own sake. In our material society, it is difficult to explain the intangible value of things like intellectualism, particularly to young people. Until greater value is placed on obtaining knowledge for no other reason than to broaden individual and societal wisdom, students will continue to drop out of high school. After all, how can the economic importance of a high school diploma really be explained to children who have never had to earn their own living? Even those in dire socio-economic conditions do not have a grounded concept of what money means in quality of life and long-term happiness.

What’s interesting about high school dropout rates is how far the consequences can reach. It’s not just about someone not finishing school, nor is it even about that individual not making as much money as they could. It has economic and social ramifications for all of society.

Can you think of other reasons we should look for ways to increase high school graduation rates?

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

2 States That Made Big Investments in P-20 Education in 2015

In order for education in the U.S. to regain its former preeminence, we must start to fully fund education. Fortunately, many state governors got the memo and decided to do just that. Here is a shortlist of states that made investments in education in 2015.

Michigan governor invested millions in P-20 education. Higher education and public schools received a shot in the arm from the Michigan legislature earlier this year when Governor Rick Snyder approved a new funding bill for the 2015–2016 school year.

According mlive.com, the legislature sent $16 million worth of education funding to the governor’s desk for approval in June. Within the budget was an increase of over $18 million for higher education, $1.53 billion for the state’s public universities, an over-$23 million increase for community colleges, and $50 million “for a possible agreement on Snyder’s plans for Detroit education reform. The reform money will go towards paying down “the debt of Detroit Public Schools.” More antecedents included were money for at-risk funding and a bump in per-pupil funding, from $70 to $140.

Because the education budgets received bipartisan support and votes, Snyder signed off on them. He received the money he requested for education reform, and there seem to be no coming cuts to higher education.

State legislatures across the country have struggled to balance budgets without cutting higher and public education. This money addresses the needs of low-income, or poor, school districts and will pump more money into Michigan’s public universities.

Hopefully Michigan sets a trend nationwide where lawmakers will refrain from freezing or cutting money from higher and public education.

Arizona governor invested $3 billion in K-12 education. In October, Arizona politicians took a small sigh of relief when Governor Doug Ducey signed an education bill that will pump over $3 billion into K-12 schools.

According to azcentral.com, the bill was signed after leaders squabbled over coming to terms on funding due to a five-year-old lawsuit “that sets conditions on when the K-12 formula can be denied inflation funding.” This new plan calls for $3.5 billion to go to Arizona schools in the next decade by raising the base amount of K-12 dollars. That base will then be adjusted annually for inflation, and an extra $625 million will be added from the state’s general fund.

It took several weeks of negotiations between Ducey and school officials. Democrats weren’t fully behind the deal, which was championed by Republicans and signed into law by a Republican governor. But in the end, students seem to be the winner, so there’s no reason to grasp for partisanship.

In the next 10 years, K-12 schools in Arizona will see an uptick in funding due to the deal. That could mean more teachers, better facilities, and better resources for students to utilize. Of course, oversight of these funds is essential, and my vote is always to improve education conditions for minority and underserved students (especially in bilingual Arizona), but we will see how it all falls into place.

The semantics of the deal, or how we arrived here, may be debatable. But in the end, students seem like they will come out ahead with Arizona’s latest education law.

Can you think of any additional states that made big investments in P-20 education in 2015?

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education, Matthew Lynch

3 Biggest Losses for K-12 Education in 2015

All in all, 2015 was a good year for K-12 education. However, for all the great wins we experienced, we also had some major losses. Let’s look back at just a few of these disappointments.

In 23 states, poor students see less school funding. Poverty makes it more difficult for children to succeed in school, and they come to school at a disadvantage. These students tend to have more needs than their middle-class and well-off peers. Children from poor families are behind their counterparts on nearly every measure of academic achievement.

In 23 states, state and local governments together spend less per student in the poorest districts than those that are more affluent, according to 2012 federal data reported in The Washington Post. The differences in funding are severe in some states. Pennsylvania spends 33 percent less on the poorest school districts per pupil than on the wealthiest. In Missouri, the difference is 17 percent.

Across the United States, states and localities on average spend 15 percent less per pupil in the poorest districts than in the most affluent, according to The Washington Post.

This news is troubling. We need to find ways to ensure that children from low-income families receive an excellent education and their fair share of federal assistance. Our country needs to work hard to find ways to help homeless students and those in poverty and provide resources such as after-school and summer programs to help our poorer students succeed.

In addition, if we want to narrow the education gap, we have to help our underprivileged students. Poverty doesn’t mean that students cannot succeed; they can.

However, poverty does place additional pressures on children and add some additional challenges. Funding is one big way we can help our students from poorer schools and give them a better chance at success.

The opportunity gap is widening in America. The economic status of the parents of today’s K-12 students determines the long-term economic quality of the children’s lives more today than in previous generations. Children living in poverty conditions today are more likely to stay in them throughout adulthood than in previous generations, according to new information from Robert Putnam, author of “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis,” which examines how kids experience inequality the most and the devastating long-term effects.

Putnam revealed to Mind/Shift that the opportunity gap is making it impossible for a third of kids to gain access to the right steps to achieve the American Dream. This “opportunity gap” is a result of many factors, including a lack of equality in resources and treatment of students in America’s school systems, starting as young as preschool.

I think that the only way to truly close the opportunity gap is in our K-12 education system. As a society, we cannot go into homes and change what takes place there, at least not on the mass scale that is needed. We can, however, educate our nation’s children and give them the tools to elevate their quality of life. Schools are certainly places where social services, like free and reduced-price lunch programs, are appropriate, but to really facilitate long-term change, we need to give students the educational tools to rise above issues like poverty as they grow. This is only possible with targeted programs in at-risk areas that take specific backgrounds and life situations into account and employ teachers who come from similar backgrounds so students have relatable role models.

2016 USDOE funding is $2 billion less than 2015. Congress went to work on education funding in 2015, and the results aren’t pretty. According to ThinkProgress.org, the Senate Appropriations Committee put forth a bill that included education funding for the next fiscal year. The funding level is about $2 billion less than it was in 2015, which means a potential loss of programs.

The Senate’s version wasn’t as bad as what the House came up with. The appropriations committee in the lower chamber wanted to slash $2.8 billion from the Department of Education.

What’s at stake is the department’s research ability. Think Progress’s article stated that the department “would lose 80 percent of its research budget and all funding for preschool development grants, School Improvement Grants, and the Advanced Placement Test Fee program, which allows low-income high school students to afford tests that provide them with college credits.”

That’s fairly significant.

In December of last year, the department awarded the preschool development grant to 18 states. That totaled almost $300 million that went towards allowing more kids access to preschool programs. If the House and Senate continue cutting the grant, this will hurt thousands of children nationwide.

When we see politicians making drastic and harmful decisions like this, it shows just how empty politics can seem at times. Getting rid of the education department’s research budget and slashing preschool grants may save money, but it will hurt us in the long run.

Hopefully, both sides are able to compromise so that the cuts stop short of hurting kids who are about to start their education.

What were the biggest losses for K-12 education in 2015? What did I miss?

Click here to read all our posts concerning the Achievement Gap.

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Matthew Lynch published in Diversity, Equity, Matthew Lynch

Black Boys in Crisis: Is Punishment Too Harsh?

It’s no secret that Black boys are considered the trouble makers of society. In America’s prison systems, black citizens are incarcerated at six times the rates of white ones – and the NAACP predicts that one in three of this generation of Black boys will spend some time locked up. Do these numbers tell the true story though? Are Black boys inherently more dangerous than their white and Hispanic peers – or are they the products of racial profiling and a society that sets them up to fail?

In the first part of this series I looked at the connection between low reading ability and a lifetime of struggle for Black young men in the U.S., but today I want to focus on a non-academic area that impacts this group in childhood: punishment that begins in K-12 classrooms.

Troubling Stats in Schools

Nearly 75 percent of all schools in the U.S. report at least one violent incident in their schools each year, but that number rises to 82 percent for schools with a majority of Black students. Though Hispanic boys are the most likely to be involved with gang activity at school, it is certainly an issue for Black boys too – with 31 percent of students nationwide reporting seeing Black gang activity in their schools. Violence is just one part of the criminal side of K-12 hallways, though. There are also higher numbers of non-violent crimes, like theft, in schools where more students are Black than any other race.

All of that being said, there still IS violence in schools where Black students are the minority, and committed by non-Black students. Yet, over and over again statistics show that punishment for Black boys – even first-time offenders – in schools is harsher than any other demographic. Consider these facts:

• Black students make up just 18 percent of children in U.S. preschools, but make up half of those youngsters who are suspended.
• Black boys receive two-thirds of all school suspensions nationwide – all demographics and both genders considered.
• In Chicago, 75 percent of all students arrested in public schools are Black.

Also troubling is the fact that not all of the Black boys taken from their schools in handcuffs are violent, or even criminals. Increasingly, school-assigned law enforcement officers are leading these students from their schools hallways for minor offenses, including class disruption, tardiness and even non-violent arguments with other students. It seems that it is easier to remove these students from class through the stigma of suspension or arrest than to look for in-school solutions.
Minnesota civil rights attorney Nekima Levy-Pounds writes that “it is a continual affront to the human dignity of black boys to be treated as second class citizens within the public school system and made to feel as though they are not welcome in mainstream classroom settings.”

In Minneapolis, for example, an Office for Black Male Student Achievement has been created within the public schools to address the specific challenges that face young black males face when navigating the public school system. It appears that the effort may just be smoke and mirrors, however, as only $200,000 has been dedicated to it – which amounts to just $28 per African American boy.

School-to-Prison pipeline

School suspension, and certainly arrest, is just the beginning of a life considered on the wrong side of the law for many Black boys. By 18 years of age, 30 percent of Black males have been arrested at least once, compared to just 22 percent of white males. Those numbers rise to 49 percent for Black men by the age of 23, and 38 percent of white males. Researchers from several universities concluded earlier this year that arrests early in life often set the course for more crimes and incarceration throughout the rest of the offender’s lifetime.

Turning our backs on the misbehavior of our K-12 youth doesn’t teach them a lesson, or lead to lives that are changed for the better. It only simplifies the present, paving the way for a future of crime and other misbehavior. In order to change the troubling trends of Black men and crime, we first need to address the way Black boys are disciplined in K-12 schools and look for better solutions to suspensions and arrests.

photo credit: Elliott Fusy-Pudal via photopin cc

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